Shipping Schedule

We book space on scheduled weekly services rather than waiting to fill our own equipment, which means your cargo sails on a known date instead of "when there is enough". The tables below show our regular departures. Cut-off is the latest we can accept cargo into the terminal for a given sailing; deliver after it and your shipment rolls to the next vessel.

Sea freight sailing schedule

Air freight departure schedule

How to read a transit time

Every transit quoted here is port to port or airport to airport. Add two to four days for UK collection and terminal handling before departure, and between three days and two weeks at the far end for discharge, customs clearance and inland delivery. Where a routing involves transhipment — most long-haul services do — the connecting vessel adds a few days and we will name the transhipment hub on your booking confirmation.

Peak periods and what they do to space

Space tightens before Chinese New Year, through the July and August removals peak and in the run-up to Christmas. Book two to three weeks earlier than usual in those windows, especially for vehicles, where RoRo deck space is the first thing to sell out. We will tell you honestly if a date is at risk rather than take the booking and roll it.

Regions we sail to

Africa · Asia · Caribbean · Central America · Europe · Middle East · North America · Oceania · South America — 198 destination countries with weekly or fortnightly departures, and any port not listed served on request.

Booking deadlines explained

Three deadlines matter on every shipment and they are not the same date. The booking cut-off is when the carrier stops selling space on a sailing, usually five to seven days before departure on long-haul lanes. The documentation cut-off is when shipping instructions and the export entry must be lodged, typically 48 to 72 hours before sailing. The cargo cut-off is the last moment physical cargo can be received into the terminal. Miss the first and you wait for the next vessel; miss the last and the cargo rolls even though the paperwork is perfect.

UK collection lead times

Allow two to five working days between confirming a collection and the vehicle or cargo reaching our East Tilbury facility. Collections from the South East are usually next day; Scotland, the South West and Northern Ireland need a little more notice, and covered transporter movements for prestige vehicles are planned around the transporter route rather than the shortest distance.

Vehicle deck space and RoRo sailings

RoRo deck space is sold by lane metre and sells out first on West African, Caribbean and Australasian services. High or oversized units — motorhomes, tippers, agricultural machinery — need to be measured accurately at booking because the carrier prices the space the unit actually occupies, not the space you hoped it would.

Air freight cut-offs at UK airports

General cargo must reach the Regulated Agent facility 12 to 24 hours before departure so it can be screened, built onto a pallet and manifested. Dangerous goods, temperature controlled and live consignments need longer, and next-flight-out shipments can still be tendered within a few hours where the airline releases a late acceptance.

Public holidays and terminal closures

UK bank holidays, destination public holidays, Ramadan and Chinese New Year all shift cut-offs earlier and stretch clearance times at the far end. We flag the affected dates on your booking confirmation rather than letting you discover them at the terminal gate.